Morning journal and courier., 1887-11-03
A TERRIBLn TRAGEDY.

The FrfghtfuI Crime Committed by a Drunken Man at Turnerville-A Silk Weaver Shoots His Wife Dead, !, Smothers His TwO Children and Then Sets Fire to the House. TURNERvILLE, Nov 2.-John Hodel, aged 35. silk weaver for P. w. Turner &c Go. of this place, while crazy drunk at 9 o'clock this morning killed his wife with shotgun, set fire to the house and smothered two chil- dren aged three and six. The Hodel murder is one of the most horrible that ever happen ed in Connections, and there never was a clearer example of "iquor did it." Hodel had been on spree for about week. When himself he was a quiet unsssuming, good natured fellow, but drink made him crazy.
 Hodel tells the following story: "Last night told my wife that I was going to kill myself. She said she wanted to die too, An agreement was then made that the whole family die together. It consisted of two small children, both boys aged three and six, and the mother expecting to be confined again in about month. Sometime during the night brought the two children from an adjoining room and placed them in the bed with their mother and then set fire to the bed, intending to smother them all, but the smothering process was too slow, so I got a shotgun breech loader, and fired both bar rels into my wife's breast, killing her in stantly The flames then spread and smoth- cred both the children. I then went down stairs and tapped on the window of the lower tenement bedroom and called them to come in and see what had done; then with noth- ing on but my nightshirt and stockings I ran down the road toward the depot crying 'fre"
 Fred Harrow, boss weaver in Turner's mill, :, was the first man he met. Harrow ran up to the house after he heard what was done.
 HanZcker, the man who lives in the lower tenement was the first man to find the bod ies and with other neighbors put out the fife after the room had been badly scorched and a hole burned in the floor
 Hodel wandered around while. He got pair of pants at John Hanna's, 8 German neighbor, and finally after the bodies had been moved into the room below came back to the house and made effort to escape The men kept watch'and Sheriff Fillmore was sent for. He arrived about 5:30 a. In. and Coroner Phelps came from Rockville at 11:45 a. m. and Medical Examiner c. H. Pendle- ion from Hebron Hodel was very reti- cent during the first part of the day, but later talked freely and told of the agreement with his wifs as the reason why he killed her and the children. He is a Swiss and came from Longman, Canton Lu- cerne, about a year ago last July. He is thirty one years old and was married when he came over. He has worked for Turner & Go. about four months. He cannot speak English and talks through an interpreter. He says he expects to hang and don't care how quickly.
 He had half dozen barrels of home made wine and cider in his cellar, and drinking from these had made him crazy and prompt ed the murder. He was earning S2 per day and was quite a good sort of man when so- Der. Neither he nor his wife had relatives in this country.
 Coroner Phelps brought Hodel before Jus tice Clarence Bassett, where he entered the plea of not guilty and probable cause being found he was bound over to the December term of the Holland county court and taken to Holland jail. The prisoners examination will be continued tomorrow at Turneryille. It now appears that Hodel killed his family because of jealousy of his wife. Hodel thought that certain neighbors were too famil- jar with her and had accused her of the same and a quarrel followed. Hodel wrote a let ter yesterday to friend in Switzerland tell ing the whole story and mailed the letter last night. The authorities will try to intercept the letter at New York.